FOLIC ACID - Breaking News from the UK
By Carole Sobkowiak, SRHSB Folate
Spokesperson
Experts are now backing mandatory fortification of flour with
folic acid.
In 2006 the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)
published its report Folate and Disease Prevention and recommended
mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid, together with
controls on voluntary fortification so as not to exceed the upper
safe limit. Guidance was also given for the use of
preconception supplementation.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considered the report and in
June 2007 they recommended fortification www.fsa.gov.uk. In October 2007
the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of England, on behalf of the UK
CMO's, requested SACN to consider two further studies on folic acid
and the risk of colorectal cancer. SACN has convened meetings
with their Committee on carcinogenicity and an external cancer
expert and have concluded that their original advice remains
unchanged www.sacn.gov.uk. The
CMO was notified by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on 19
October. SACN were able to view confidential results of a
meta-analysis on randomised control trials which reported cancer
risks and their full report will be made available once this
research is published.
Global progress is monitored by the Flour Fortification
Initiative (FFI) at Rollins School of Public Health, www.sph.emory.edu/wheatflour/index.php.
So far no European country has added folic acid to flour.
The decision of the CMO is eagerly awaited.
